Spectacle case



Oct. 20, 1959 R. F. E. STEGEMAN 2,909,276

v SPECTACLE CASE Filed July is, 1955 IN VEN TOR.

RFESTEGEMAN I ATTORNEY United States Patent SPECTACLE CASE Raymond F. E. Stegeman, Greece, N.Y., assignor to Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New York This invention relates to spectacle cases and more particularly it has reference to a spectacle case of the-type having open ends and a hinged cover.

One of the objects of this invention-is to provide an improved spectacle case of the type described which will be relatively simple in structure, economical in manufacture, and efficient in use. A further object is to provide such a case having relatively rigid walls which will afford substantial protection to a spectacle contained therein, while still being relatively simple in structure and capable of being manufactured With a minimum of operations. Still another object is to provide such a case having simple yet eflicient means for holding the hinged cover in closed position on the case. These and other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts as will hereinafter be more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a spectacle case embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the case with the cover in open position.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the relation of the parts before the cover and body members have been formed.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is disclosed in the drawings wherein there is shown a spectacle case comprising the metallic, elongated, body member having a substantially U-shaped construction with a rear wall portion 11 and a front wall portion 12 connected by a curved bottom portion 13. The rear Wall 11 is greater in height than the front wall 12 and the body member is open at both ends. The front and rear walls 11 and 12 are held in proper spaced relation by means of an interposed post means 14 consisting of a tube having its respective ends positioned over the upstiuck lugs 15 and 16 formed, respectively, in the rear and front walls 11 and 12 and withthe resilience of the walls holding the parts in proper relation.

The curved cover member 17 is formed of metallic sheet material and has an edge 22 which is positioned adjacent to and is coextensive with the upper edge 23 of the rear wall 11. The cover member 17 extends across the open top of the body member and downwardly along the outer side of the front wall 12. The cover member 17 has an integral, centrally disposed projection 18 which is curved so as to extend under the portion 13 and is reversely folded as at 19 so that the free end of the pro jection yieldably engages the under side ofrthe curved bottom portion 13. a

The cover member 17 is hingedly secured to the body member 16 by hinge means such as formed by thetwo pieces of pliable sheet material 21 and 21 which are posi- 2,909,276 Patented Oct. 20, 1 959 are blanked out of flat sheet material such as metal, for example, and these stampings are positioned as shown in Fig. 4, between two superposed pieces of pliable sheet material 20 and 21 made of leather, plastic or the like. The pieces of sheet material 20 and 21 overlap the edges of the members 10 and 17 so that the overlapping edges of the pieces of pliable material may be secured together by any suitable means such as heat-sealing, cementing or sewing. The two pieces of sheet material 20 and 21 are also secured together along a line extending between and substantially parallel to the adjacent edges 22 and 23 of the cover member 17 and the body member 10 in order to provide hinge means for connecting the cover member to the body member. 7

It is to be understood that after the parts are secured together, as shown in Fig. 4, the body member 10 isbent or formed up substantially along line A to thereby provide a U-shaped structure having the front and rear walls. The cover member 17 is curved or bent substantially along the line indicated at B in order to provide a cover for the open top of the case and to bring the depending portion 24 of the cover member into substantially parallel relation to and in contact with the front side of wall 12. The projection 18 is shaped by bending along the lines shown at C and D so as to provide a resilient end projection which will extend under and yieldably engage the curved lower portion 13 of the case to removably hold the cover in closed position.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I am able to attain the objects of my invention and provide an improved spectacle case which can be readily manufactured with a minimum number of operations. The sheet metal body and cover members may be stamped out of metallic sheet material with the upstruck portions 15 and 16 for holding the post 14 in position. By employing plastic sheet material to cover the inner and outer sides of the body and cover members, it is possible to heat-seal the sheet material around the overlapping edges as shown in Fig. 4. In addition, the two plastic sheets 20 and 21 are heat-sealed along the line extending between the adjacent edges 22 and 23 of the cover and body members 17 and 10. This last-mentioned heat seal not only provides a hinge for the cover member but it also serves to retain the cover and body members in proper relation while the bending or forming operations take place. With this construction, the need for the usual snap fastener is eliminated since the projection on the cover member is reversely formed so that its end will yieldably engage the under side of the curved bottom portion 13. In order for the cover member to fit snugly along the front side of the front wall 12, it is necessary that the fi'ont wall 12 be held in proper fixed relation to the rear wall 11. This is accomplished by the use of the post means 14 which also prevents the two walls from being crushed together under the application of force and also serves to keep the spectacle from endwise movement in the case since the bridge of the spectacle is positioned over the post 14.

Various modifications can obviously be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A spectacle case comprising an elongated substantially U-shaped, open ended, metallic body member having a front wall, a rear wall and a curved bottom portion connecting the two walls, said rear wall having a greater height than the front wall, a curved, elongated metallic cover member having an edge substantially coextensive with the upper edge of the rear wall and adjacent thereto, said cover member extending over the open top of the body member and down along the front side of the front wall, a piece of pliable sheet material covering the inner surfaces of said body and cover members, a second piece of pliable sheet material covering the outer surfaces of said body andcover members, said pieces of material having edges overlapping the edges of the members with the adjacent edges of the pieces sealed together, said pieces also being sealed together along a "line between the adjacent edges of the two members to provide a hinge for the cover member, and a reversely folded projection on the lower portion of the cover member, said projection yieldably engaging the curved bottom portion of the body member whereby the cover member is detachably held in closed position.

2. A spectacle case comprising an elongated, substantially U-shaped, open ended, metallic body member having spaced front and rear walls connected by a curved bottom portion, said rear wall being higher than the front wall, a curved metallic cover member having an edge which is substantially coextensive with and adjacent to the upper edge of the rear wall, said cover member extending over the open top of the body member and thence downwardly and in contact with a substantial area of the front side of the front wall, pliable sheet material covering the inner and outer sides of the members and forming hinge means for the cover member, an integral projection on the lower edge of the cover member, said projection being reversely folded and yieldably engaging the curved bottom portion of the body member for detachably holding the cover member in closed position, and a post mounted between the front and rear walls and substantially midway between the ends of the walls, said post holding the walls in proper spaced apart relation so that the cover member will lie snugly against the front side of the front wall with the reversely formed projection in yieldable holding relation With said curved bottom portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,177,752 Wilson Apr. 4, 1916 2,151,116 Jones Mar. 21, 1939 20 2,656,912 Stegeman Oct. 27, 1953 

